Top 50 Possible Summer Transfer Targets

Here are the top 50 possible European-based summer transfer targets. This means that the likes of Neymar, Leandro Damião, Paulinho, Gino Peruzzi, Facundo Ferreyra and other rumoured transfer targets from South American clubs won’t be included.

Why? I’m not an expert in that region, therefore I’ll stick to European football for this article.

As with any list, there will be omissions, so feel free to comment below with probable transfer targets that weren’t included in this article.

50. Florent Malouda, Chelsea, WAM

Chelsea's frustrations with Florent Malouda's excessive wage demands have made him impossible to sell.

The resentment with what they perceive as Malouda doing a "Winston Bogarde" has led to the former Lyon man serving the rest of his contract in exile.

These are double-standards from the Blues, who not only want to kick Florent out of the club, but are telling him to devalue himself as well.

But, who decided to give Malouda his reported £80,000 a week salary? Chelsea.

If he wants to use the £80,000 per-week as the benchmark when negotiating with prospective employers, how's he in the wrong?

The business decision would be to play out the contract and then be in full control of where he goes in the summer, since he'll take advantage of the Bosman ruling.

Florent is angry with what he deems as unethical behaviour from Blues management (from France-Guyane via ESPN FC):

The details, I'm going to explode them when I'm free, but the strategy employed is to make me look like a player who wants to be paid a lot.

It's underhand, but it makes me smile more than anything else because it shows just how much esteem those people have for me. All of this is being done to break me mentally. In reality, it motivates me hugely.

8:37 am—Eats breakfast in the shower so he can get to training early. Even though no one will notice.

9:45 am—While practicing free kicks, he hears the U-21 kids dare one of their cohorts to "kick a ball at Old Man Malouda." When it happens, Malouda takes a few steps in their direction and they all run away screaming.

12:30 pm—He watches through a window as the non-exiled first-team players enjoy a specially prepared lunch while eating a sandwich he had been carrying in his sock all morning. Between soggy bites, he sees that Fernando Torres looks depressed despite being surrounded by other people who are actually talking to him. Malouda decides he will leave a friendship bracelet on Torres' training kit before leaving the club.

1:11 pm—Checks his bank balance.

2:50 pm—Plays several games of FIFA 13 career mode with a modified Chelsea team made up entirely of players named "Florent Malouda." He keeps the original Florent Malouda character on the bench, though.

3:26 pm—He tweets just to try and prove to himself that he still exists.

4:09 pm—Wanders around the parking lot hoping to "accidentally" bump into Rafa Benitez. When it finally happens, Benitez says "hello Mr. Abramovich" to him and then drives off.

5:15 pm—Takes his daily picture of himself with the Champions League trophy.

7:20 pm—For dinner, he eats a sandwich he had been carrying in his other sock all day while imitating Didier Drogba's voice.

9:41 pm—Stares at his bank balance until he drifts into a deep and restful sleep.

49. Peter Odemwingie, West Bromwich Albion, RAM

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When Peter Odemwingie offered teammate Goran Popov a lift, the Macedonian declined, saying he didn't want to end up in London.

In case you don't understand the context of Goran's witty response, it's a reference to Peter trying to force West Bromwich Albion's hand by driving to Loftus Road, hoping the club would sell him to Queens Park Rangers on transfer deadline day.

Manager Steve Clarke was blunt about Odemwingie's lack of common sense (via Stuart James at The Guardian):

There is no misunderstanding on the part of the clubs. At boardroom level there is absolute clarity. It is total lunacy because he didn't have permission to be at QPR. That's why QPR turned him away. I think Peter has been very, very badly advised. And I think if I was Peter, I would be looking for new agents.

Peter has sincethrown his agents under the bus, even though he clearly was in on the charade:

Will Odemwingie ever live this down?"Sign Me Maybe""Hey, I just drove here. And this is crazy. I'm in your car park. So sign me maybe"”

Odemwingie has a history of making impulsive decisions, which led to regret, thus forcing another impulsive decision.

He was so overjoyed with the amount of money Lokomotiv Moscow offered him that he signed on the dotted line without hesitation.

Having spent time in the CSKA Moscow junior team, the Nigerian knew how backwards the nation was with regards to race equality, but he proceeded to complain about racism during his time with Lokomotiv—yet he had no problems cashing in the cheque.

Peter then changed the reason for wanting to leave Lokomotiv by saying something absolutely ludicrous (via Ian Edwards at The Express):

It wasn’t just racism, although there was that. Lokomotiv are going through a crisis as a club and they tried for a while to blame it on me because Nigeria qualified for the World Cup and Russia didn’t.

Amidst the unhappiness and not getting starts in his preferred No. 9 role, Peter has still scored five goals and registered three assists in the Premier League, which is a better return than Papiss Cissé.

45. Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich, RAM

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The only way Arsenal will beat Bayern Munich in the first leg is if Arjen Robben goes in two-footed on Thomas Müller in training, thus giving the Dutchman the right attacking midfield spot by default, to which he'll shoot Bayern to a loss.

Vs. Chelsea in UEFA Champions League final: 0/15 plus a penalty miss.

This season (Bundesliga + UCL): 2/32.

Two goals from 32 shots equals a 16 shots per goal average, which is almost double Luis Suárez's total (8.4), and the Uruguayan is an inconsistent shooter.

Arjen has achieved this whilst not even being a starter.

He told Algemeen Dagblad (via Goal.com): "I think it is a very interesting choice and I think at first glance Guardiola may fit well at Bayern."

BREAKING: Arjen Robben hands in transfer request after finding out he would have to learn how to pass after the appointment of Pep Guardiola— Football Funnys (@FootballFunnys) January 16, 2013

43. Juan Quintero, Pescara, AM

Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images

BBC Sport's South American correspondent Tim Vickery was full of praise for Juan Quintero during the South American U-20 Championships:

The big two paraded no one with the class of Colombia's wonderful left footed playmaker, Juan Fernando Quintero—the one player present who would seem capable of making an impact on next year's senior World Cup. With his generation of ideas, his push and run organising and his Glen Hoddle-esque capacity to pass beyond the defensive line, Quintero is a joy to watch.

Quintero scored five goals as the Colombians took out the Championship.

The goal scoring is a bit of surprise, considering he has struggled in front of goals in Serie A, only converting 3.3 percent of his chances.

Whilst his shooting is a concern, his passing is top-notch, and he's an explosive dribbler.

Colombia have three exciting talents with all the characteristics you want in a flair player: Luis Muriel (21; Udinese), James Rodríguez (21; Porto) and Quintero (20; Pescara).

40. Beñat, Real Betis, DLP

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Anne Hathaway once looked at the lighter side of being in a relationship with a guy, who turned out to be a conman: "You do have to give me credit because as far as relationships crashing and burning goes... c'mon, I did pretty great."

Beñat is doing a spectacular job crashing and burning his transfer value.

In recent times, he has been the worst player on the field every time I've seen him, which is such a twist of fate given how influential he was to Real Betis last season and throughout the first half of this season.

He has picked up more yellow cards than combined goals and assists scored since January.

Betis is increasingly noticing how little Beñat is contributing to the team's attacking play in midfield.

The player himself admits that he is on a poor run of form which he blames on physical exhaustion, although a theory is gaining momentum that his gradual loss of self-confidence is down to the insane rumours and speculation surrounding his future.

Pepe Mel has defended him to the hilt. He's always been on hand to offer his support because he understands that Beñat's problems are both on and off the pitch. However, his poor run of form is evident and he's been substituted in his last three competitive games.

Icardi clearly has promise, his current market valuation is generous and primarily based on his form over a six-week period.

While his scoring stats of eight goals in just 18 League games seem impressive, they don’t look so phenomenal when you break them down. After all, he’s only scored in four games.

It seems absurd that a player who cost Sampdoria €400,000 in July 2011 is now said to be worth almost 40 times that amount. What is even more staggering is that there are Italian clubs, in these difficult economic times, who seem willing to pay that.

Icardi could very well become the latest Argentine sensation in front of goal, but, for now, he isn’t.

Today he’s just a kid with the rawest of potential. As for tomorrow, it looks like it will take around €15 million to find out…

32. Étienne Capoue, Toulouse, DM

His tackles per league game (1.9) has drastically decreased from last season (2.8). He's also committing more bone-headed fouls.

Étienne at times is playing like a box-to-box midfielder, and he shoots 0.7 times more than he creates a shot, which must annoy Wissam Ben Yedder to no end (oh my, talk about coming back to earth—scored nine Ligue 1 goals by November but hasn't scored since).

Capoue can launch exceptional, long passes. However, he isn't a deep-lying playmaker, nor does he possess the passing ability (at this point) to imitate Rio Mavuba.

Étienne has given the ball away 270 times in 22 league games, which is a problem.

Steed Malbranque, Florent Balmont and Jérémy Clément have all been more impressive than Capoue this season.

Whilst his form hasn't eroded like Beñat, one plausible explanation for Étienne's wishy-washy displays is his frustrations with Toulouse not selling him.

Toulouse have been playing hardball with any potential suitors if Capoue has had to come out with his desire to leave.

31. Nicolas N'Koulou, Marseille, CB

Photo via om.net

Nicolas N'Koulou's teammates put him between a rock and a hard place with their woeful positioning.

Someone like Lucas Mendes should never play at full-back. Souleymane Diawara is on his last legs and probably should start contacting some teams in the Middle East. Why play Rod Fanni at centre-back when he's a superior right-back?

30. Christian Eriksen, Ajax, AM

Do you know that Chelsea loanee Amin Affane, who plays for relegation embattled Roda, is a league assist (five) behind Christian Eriksen (six)?

Little known Australian Tommy Oar of Utrecht is also just behind Christian in the Eredivisie assists column.

For years, people talk about Eriksen as if he's already a world-class player, when Heerenveen's Filip Duricić (off to Benfica in the summer) is just as talented.

Ajax put the ball in Eriksen's court, to which he knocked it straight back to them, so we can only presume he wants to leave despite saying last April (from FIFA.com via ESPN FC):

I think that I'm still developing here at Ajax and that the regular playing time that I am getting is making me better and better. I don't see the need for a move at the moment. I feel very much at home here and there is plenty I can still learn. I'm a young player and I'm still trying to improve things in terms of the image I project and my leadership qualities.

Should Christian leave, Ajax could replace him with Adam Maher, and AZ wouldn't be adverse to selling their star since 1) Adam was going to leave anyways 2) they've already signed his replacement—Willie Overtoom.

28. Léo Baptistão, Rayo Vallecano, CF

Martin Rosenow at AtleticoFans.com sifted through the Spanish press and stated that COPE had reported that Léo Baptistão would be arriving at Atlético Madrid in the summer.

Provided that Falcao leaves for a King's ransom, it's a very good move for Léo himself, who can establish himself as an Atléti player.

If Falcao stays, then Baptistão's career with the club could be stop-start like Diego Costa.

You may think Rayo, who? I say: how's Michu going for Swansea City? A heck of lot better than another blonde at Chelsea.

The club you play for doesn't determine if you're a good player, it's your on-field performances.

Using an Atlético example, the club signed Manolo from Real Murcia in 1988, and he went on to become one of the best players in the club's history.

Rayo Vallecano not only played some great football this season (you couldn't say that in the past) but their track record with having modest players, who would go on to achieve bigger and better things at other clubs is quite commendable: Álvaro Negredo, Michu, Mohamed Diamé (Barcelona would have signed him if not for a heart defect) and Guilherme de Cássio.

Léo is a bright young footballer, and provided that he continues to develop, he will be an elite forward in years to come.

Baptistão's release clause is only €8 million, hence why so many clubs are vying for his signature.

Real v Rayo tonight for me. Last time I commentated on Rayo there were 15 UK clubs at game watching Leo Baptistao and Lass Bangoura.

I read in the papers that I said no to Manchester City and yes to United but the truth is I haven’t decided on anything.

I don’t believe that Stoke bought Butland to warm the bench, so I think I’m going to be sold in the summer. To whom? I can’t move to a smaller club and I also know that some top clubs are interested in me.

Asmir jumped at the chance to represent Canada during the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup (that tournament was kind of football's answer to the 2003 NBA Draft), only to become a Bosnian again knowing he would receive more exposure with the European nation than with Canada at senior level.

This case indicates that he is a pragmatic person, so it's likely that he may have informed Stoke of his future plans, hence why they managed to sign Jack Butland, who clearly values his career over a couple of extra million pounds.

He would have only signed for Stoke if they had guaranteed him playing time, and that is only possible with Begović leaving in the summer.

Jack will play out the remainder of the season with Birmingham City on loan.

26. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Saint-Étienne, CF

If you only tuned in to watch Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's last four games, you would have thought he was a superstar.

His recent form masks the heavy struggles he went through during the previous two months.

It was an odd form slump.

He went from scoring with ease to not even being able to buy a goal. He started displaying the tendencies of Fernando Torres: dropping deep to facilitate, not attacking the ball in the box and preferring to pass than shoot.

Should Saint-Étienne sign Yohan Mollo on a permanent deal and if the club qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, Pierre-Emerick should stay with ASSE.

When on song, Mollo is one of the best crossers in Europe.

The Europa league will test Aubameyang to see if he can play against other European clubs of similar stature.

22. Christian Benteke, Aston Villa, CF

With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to say Aston Villa hit the jackpot by signing Christian Benteke for £7 million, when there were so many question marks surrounding the original deal.

Out of chance, I had happened to stumble upon Benteke whilst keeping track of Kevin De Bruyne, who had been signed by Chelsea and was loaned back to Genk.

In a 10-game stretch, De Bruyne created 11 goals and scored twice.

Christian cashed in on playing alongside Kevin, who thrived under the pressure of producing, knowing Chelsea scouts and fans were scrutinising his every action.

Benteke cost De Bruyne so many assists by missing chance after chance.

Why would Villa sign such a raw forward with finishing problems? There were also questions over Benteke's attitude and the shady people he hung around with.

Didn't it raise a red flag that Christian was arrested at the crime scene with two other people after a victim had been car-jacked and assaulted? Did Villa not worry that Benteke was threatening to sue Genk?

Benteke was acquitted of the charges, and I guess this quote by Ray Lewis is applicable:

Be careful with who you hang around with.

If people don't have your same vision that you have. If people don't have your same drive. If they ain't in the weight room with you day in and day out. If they ain't sacrificing what you sacrificing. Then maybe it's not a bad thing for them to tell you: 'we need to separate.'

20. Isco, Málaga, AM

When teams have no intentions of selling a prized asset, they set a crazy buy-out clause (via The Telegraph): "Barcelona have placed a huge buy-out clause of €200 million (£176 million) in Fabregas’s contract."

Málaga have inserted a €35 million buy-out clause, which tells you that they're hoping for bids that will alleviate some of the serious financial troubles the club is going through.

Champions League contenders Malaga were banned from European club competitions for one upcoming season by UEFA on Friday for failing to pay players wages and tax bills on time.

UEFA said the Qatari-owned Spanish club could be banned for a second season within the next four years if they miss a March 31 deadline to pay their debts, which are reported to include $11.6 million in unpaid player wages.

UEFA announced the sanctions on Friday, one day after Malaga were drawn to play FC Porto in the Champions League last-16 round. They will be barred from the first Champions League or Europa League tournament it qualifies for in the next four seasons.

UEFA's club finance judicial body also fined Malaga $396,000. The club can appeal the sanctions direct to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Isco has been in great recent form, scoring four times in his last five league games.

22-year-old Ignacio Camacho, the rambunctious ball-winning midfielder, should also be a prime target for elite clubs.

Andreas Iniesta: "Apart from the players at Barcelona, which player do I admire the most? (Without hesitation) Isco, from Malaga."

18. Carlos Tévez, Manchester City, CF

I have a year left on my contract and Manchester City want to sign me for two more seasons.

Boca's president has said the door is always open for me to rejoin them and I'm dying to pull their shirt on once more.

I want to end my career there. It is my dream and that of my family. I'd love to be playing for them against River Plate. It would be better than playing against Fulham.

I had lost the desire to play and spent a lot of time crying in my room.

One after the other, bad things happened. I suffered psychologically and I did not want anything more to do with football.

I am much better now and am winning people over because I began the season well, have lost weight and can run faster. I still don't like being substituted but at least I understand the manager's reasons.

I used to call Mancini every name under the sun but now I understand he does things for the good of the team.

15. Diego, Wolfsburg, AM

Who would have thought a punt by Atlético Madrid in requesting a loan spell from a struggling Diego, would turn the Brazilian's career around.

He should have stayed with Werder Bremen, who had finished second and third in two of the three seasons he played in.

Moving to Juventus ruined his career, and when he signed with Wolfsburg, he couldn't stand being treated with such disdain by Felix Magath.

This little story sums up Felix coaching in the wrong era (via Raphael Honigstein at The Guardian):

Farfán went on to question the manager's 'militaristic methods' and wondered about a lack of 'humanity' in his approach. 'I can laugh now but it was a tough time,' he said.

His current squad probably share that view. Ten days ago, Magath had them running through the Wolfsburg woods (again) and when they had finished, they found that most of their water bottles had been emptied on purpose by the coach.

If Diego keeps up his form, clubs will inevitably bid for his services, but maybe he should stay with Den Wölfen, having learned from his bitter Juve experience that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

11. Marouane Fellaini, Everton, DLF

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Marouane Fellaini has been a revelation as a deep-lying forward, but he wants to play as a No. 6 (from the Daily Mirror via Sky Sports):

I think I am a defensive midfielder. But the manager thinks I can play number 10, number eight, number six, so I play wherever he wants and I give my maximum. I prefer defensive midfielder because I know my job when I play there. More things are in front of you. It is difficult to play with your back to goal. It is not my position but the manager likes me there and I am happy to do it.

There are plenty of midfield enforcers around Europe that would be cheaper options: Valon Behrami, Lars Bender, Juraj Kucka, Morgan Schneiderlin, etc.

How many forwards can win the ball from defenders whilst being a goal-threat by dominating aerially and on the ground?

4. Mario Gómez, Bayern Munich, CF

The two times Mario Gómez has played the full 90 minutes for Bayern Munich this season, he scored a goal and got an assist in both games (4-1 win versus BATE Borisov and 4-0 win over Schalke).

With Mario Mandzukić in such imperious form, it does make sense why Gómez would want to leave, especially when a club so desperate for trophies like Chelsea needs a real forward and would be willing to give the German higher wages.

2. Falcao, Atlético Madrid, CF

If only Falcao and Jackson Martínez were 23 years or younger, then Chelsea would certainly buy one of the two.

Mind you, if Fernando Torres continues to struggle, the Blues will probably bite the bullet and sign Falcao on a gigantic deal—ignoring the fact that Romelu Lukaku is one of the best young forwards in the world or the rising star of Islam Feruz.

Atlético Madrid will just bring in Léo Baptistão, who has the potential to score 15-25 goals per season.

1. Marquinhos, Roma, CB

It's a statistical anomaly because there's no way he'll keep that up whilst winning back the ball 4.9 times per game.

He's not a defender whose tackling percentage is high because of conservative tackles. He goes in full-bolt and wins the ball 92 percent of the time.

Crazy.

Christopher Atkins did a great profile on the Brazilian (via ESPN FC):

Marquinhos is the master of the interception.

His reading of the game has always been quite extraordinary for a player of his age and it is combined with speed across the ground that allows for quick recovery of position.

At 6'0" tall and yet to fully bulk out, the Sao Paulo native is also far from the biggest of Serie A defenders, but his natural athleticism enables him to compete with even those much bigger.

It says a lot about his talent that this slight, somewhat inexperienced defender has quickly become Roma's most important centre-back—keeping either the veteran Argentine Nicolas Burdisso or Brazil international Leandro Castan out of the side.

Throughout his career to date, Marquinhos has risen with apparent ease to each footballing challenge that has presented itself, and evidence suggests the future could hold even greater success.